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How HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors can use social media to build brand awareness and generate leads.
Social media isn't just for restaurants and retail stores. Home service businesses that maintain an active social presence see 2-3x more brand recognition in their service areas. While social media may not generate leads as directly as Google Ads, it builds the trust and familiarity that makes homeowners choose you over the competitor they've never heard of. When someone needs an emergency plumber and they've seen your posts all month, you're the first name they search.
For most home service businesses, Facebook and Instagram are the core platforms. Facebook is where homeowners aged 35-65 spend time, and Facebook Groups and Marketplace are goldmines for local visibility. Instagram is ideal for showcasing before-and-after work. Nextdoor is an underrated platform for hyperlocal reach. LinkedIn matters if you do commercial work. TikTok is growing but requires consistent video content. Start with two platforms and do them well rather than spreading thin across five.
Stop posting generic stock photos with motivational quotes. Here's what actually engages homeowners: before-and-after project photos, time-lapse videos of installations, quick educational tips (how to change a filter, when to call a plumber), team introductions and behind-the-scenes content, customer testimonial videos, seasonal maintenance reminders, and community involvement highlights. The content that performs best shows real work from your real team. Authenticity beats production value every time.
Consistency matters more than frequency. Three strong posts per week beats seven mediocre ones. Build a content calendar with themed days: Monday project highlight, Wednesday tip of the week, Friday team spotlight. Batch-create content. Take 30 minutes every Monday to shoot photos and videos from the week's jobs. Use a scheduling tool like Buffer or Hootsuite to queue posts in advance. The biggest mistake contractors make is posting heavily for two weeks and then going silent for a month.
Facebook and Instagram ads let you target homeowners in specific zip codes based on age, income, homeownership status, and interests. A $500-$1,000/month budget can reach 20,000-50,000 homeowners in your service area. Run brand awareness campaigns continuously and layer in seasonal promotional campaigns for AC tune-ups, furnace checks, or winterization specials. Retarget website visitors and people who've engaged with your posts. The cost per impression on social is 30-50% lower than search ads.
Social followers are warm leads waiting to convert. Include your phone number and booking link in your bio on every platform. Use Facebook's CTA button to drive calls directly from your page. Run exclusive social media promotions that create urgency. Share customer reviews as posts to build social proof. Use Facebook Messenger for quick customer service. Track which social posts drive website visits and calls. The goal isn't vanity metrics like likes and followers. It's building a local audience that calls you first.
Ask satisfied customers for permission to share their photos and testimonials on your pages. Create a branded hashtag for your business. Encourage customers to tag you when sharing their new kitchen remodel or AC installation. User-generated content is 4x more trusted than brand-created content. When other homeowners see their neighbors recommending your company, it's more powerful than any ad you could ever write.
Our team specializes in executing these strategies for home service businesses. Get a free marketing audit and see how we can help.
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